Conclusion: These results indicate the effectiveness of a2d modulators for management of neuropathic pain secondary to compression radiculopathy. The results also suggest a possible therapeutic superiority of LYRICA over locally available generic brands of pregabalin and gabapentin. These findings need to be further examined in randomized, controlled trials. (Source: Indian Journal of Palliative Care)

Building on previous studies that found racial differences in hospice use, a new study from the Institute for Aging Research of Hebrew SeniorLife and Boston University School of Medicine finds that blacks and Hispanics use hospice for advanced heart failure at a rate of up to 50 percent less than whites, despite a markedly higher rate of incidence of the disease in these populations...

New records added to the 'NHS Evidence - supportive and palliative care' specialist collection in February 2010

"Chronic long-term pain is suffered by 7.8 million people in Britain and places a huge burden on the health service and on the economy in lost productivity. Many people continue to suffer pain even after the original injury has healed and they can end up on a spiral of ever stronger painkillers, it was warned."

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on palliative care and focuses on a fairly typical American hospital in Abington. "The end of life is ... when the use and expense of health care soars. Medicare spent an estimated $143 billion in 2009 caring for people in their last year. ...

Kaiser Health News reports on questions resulting from a directive passed last November in Tulsa, Okla. "An elderly woman taken last year to St. John Medical Center in Tulsa, Okla., had suffered a massive stroke and could no longer speak, eat or drink...

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that patients admitted to hospice care who have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) are rarely having their ICDs deactivated and are receiving electrical shocks from these devices near the end of life...

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has launched new guidance today on assisted suicide. The guidance, which applies to people in England and Wales, is not a law change but aims to clarify what factors may be involved when determining whether to prosecute someone for helping a loved one to die...

Advanced cancer patients who regularly received massages averaging 14 minutes or more by a partner or family member declined in stress scores over four weeks, according to results of a study reported at the 7th annual conference of the American Psychosocial Oncology Society...

"The public can have full confidence in the policy the CPS will follow in deciding whether or not to prosecute cases of assisted suicide, Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, said today. Mr Starmer published the policy after taking account of thousands of responses received as part of what is believed to be the most extensive snapshot of public opinion on assisted suicide since the Suicide Act 1961 was introduced. Nearly 5,000 responses were received by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) following the consultation exercise launched in September."

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"New guidelines over whether people would face prosecution over assisting suicide place closer scrutiny on a suspect's motivation. Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer, said whether a person acted "wholly compassionately" and not for financial reasons was important."

"UK scientists say they have discovered why some women fail to respond to breast cancer treatment, and it is a gene error they believe they can fix. Tamoxifen is given to most women diagnosed with breast cancer to prevent the cancer returning. But not all women respond to the drug - experts estimate a third get no benefit."

"The strategy sets out a number of clear recommendations to improve outcomes for patients and help to reduce the cost of COPD to the NHS including: Identifying the disease earlier; improving diagnosis of COPD and asthma; helping people to manage their condition better through structured education and exercise reducing admissions and re-admissions to hospital; improving access to end of life care" working to prevent COPD.

"According to NHS statistics compiled by Dr Cathy Stannard, author of Opioids in Chronic Pain, the number of prescriptions for opioids dispensed in England from 1999 to 2008 increased from 6.2 million to 14.8 million. And research for this article has revealed that prescriptions for the strongest compounds – morphine, oxycodone, fentanyl and buprenorphine – rose from one million to 4.1 million. This month the British Pain Society is publishing new recommendations on good practice in opioid prescribing. Compared with previous guidelines, the document, edited by Dr Stannard, strikes a cautious note, balancing benefits with burdens."

Many cancer patients in Europe are being denied access to adequate pain relief because of over-zealous regulations restricting the availability and accessibility of opioid-based drugs such as morphine...

Accessing out of hours care is still a challenge for UK palliative care patients, even several years after the introduction of phone help line services like NHS24 and NHS Direct. Scottish researchers have specific recommendations for a more detailed and regular communication strategy to improve patients' care, which are published by SAGE in the journal Palliative Medicine...

In his latest Kaiser Health News column, Howard Gleckman writes: "Suddenly, many hospices are admitting fewer patients. Others are increasingly caring for people for just days or hours before they die. The result: cash-strapped hospices are cutting back on nurses and aides, and patients are missing out on critical end-of-life care" (2/18). Read entire column...

Can patients near death safely receive sedation at home, fully respecting their own and their families' wishes? This practice, which is on the rise, is coming under increasing scrutiny and debate by palliative care researchers and practitioners...

Approximately 66 percent of respondents to a Maryland telephone survey do not have advance medical directives, according to a new report by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Department of Health Policy and Management...